Glassware-forming apparatus



March 6, 1945. BANNER 2,370,618

GLASSWARE-FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l s I 80 fic i 21 fimcdfiavwwc w ZI M March 6, 1945. BANNER 2,370,618

GLASSWARE-FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 {Qanowc March 6, 1945. E. BANNER 2,370,618

GLASSWARE-FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 6, 1945. 1 BANNER 2,370,618

GLASSWARE-FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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GLASSWARE-FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I'll P! l| l I Sync/1440'! 6mm @mmnao Patented Mar. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention has for its object to provide an efllcient day tank; that is, a tank, that, ordinarily, in commercial use, may be charged with glass batch materials at the end of one day, the batch materials melted during the following night to form glass, and the glass drawn and the ware formed during the succeeding day.

The invention, particularly, provides a tank for containing heated glass and having a central outlet in the bottom of the tank and a glass shaping element located beneath the bottom of the tank and the outlet to receive the glass that flows from the tank. The central outlet in the bottom of the tank will cause the glass to move continuously and radially from all parts of the molten glass in the tank toward the upper end of the outlet and from the outlet to the upper end of the glassware-shaping element.

The glassware-shaping element shapes the molten glass stream from the outlet into ware form. Also, the shaping element is provided with means for controlling the flow of the glass from the outlet to maintain substantially constant flow of glass, notwithstanding the reduction of the head or static pressure as the level of the glass lowers in the tank, and, a means for manually controlling the rate of flow of the glass from the tank; and a means for varying the wall thickness of the tubular glass that may be produced by the apparatus. Also, suitable means for discontinuing the flow of the molten glass from the tank may be provided for retaining the unused molten glass in the tank for subsequent use with glass formed from a new batch.

The upper end of the shaping element, being located beneath the lower edge of the outlet, means may be provided for shifting the element to maintain a substantially constant flowof the glass over the shaping element as the level of the glass is lowered in the tank and adjusted with respect to the opening in the tank. to maintain a desired quantity flow over the shaping element according to the viscosity of the glass and the temperature conditions to which it may be subjected. Also, a means is provided for freezing the glass stream at a point that will block the flow until suiiicient additional molten glass has been formed to produce a day's operation of the apparatus.

When the surface of the glass ap roaches and before the surface of the glass reaches the bottom of the tank, the central outlet of the tank may be closed, and the dross is trapped within the'tank. The ware forming operation may be discontinued and the dress discharged or used for other purposes. The ware is thus formed of glass having an exceedingly high quality.

The invention may be contained in structures of different forms and, to illustrate a practical application of the invention, I have selected a day tank embodying the invention as an example of the various structures in which the invention may be utilized.

Fig. 1 illustrates a side viewof the day tank. Fig. 2 is a top view of the tank. Fig. 3 illustrates a section of a part of an adjustable feeding device for regulating the flow of the glass from the tank. Fig. 4 is a view of a vertical section of the tank, taken on the plane of the line 4-4, indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view of a horizontal section of the tank, taken on the plane of the line 55, indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a broken view of a means for adjusting the suspended ware-shaping element, with reference to the tank and its opening. Fig. 7 illustrates a view of a section of the glass-feeding regulator. Fig. 8 is a broken view showing a section of the central part of the tank and means for sealing the tank, when the glass is first formed from the batch materials, to prevent flow of the glass until the batch has been completely melted.

The tank i is formed of the usual refractory clay blocks and is mounted, for support, in the frame 2, to which the parts of the apparatus are secured. The tank I is, preferably, cylindrical in form and is provided with a top wall 4 (Fig. 4) formed of sector blocks that may be bonded together, by means of the metal band 5. The tank body is provided with a plurality of narrow, substantially segmentally-shaped blocks 1, in which the burners 8, for heating the tank, are located, and, also, larger segmental blocks ID, that form the main side walls of the tank, in which the batch materials are located and melted. The blocks 1 may be surrounded by curved refractory blocks and the blocks 1 and In may be suitably bonded by the rods 9. The burners 8 are formed to project flames, circularly, over the inner surface of the tank and to produce a continuous whirling flame within the top of the tank and over-the surface glass as it is formed from the batch materials. The bottom H of the tank I may, also, be formed of sector blocks. The bottom of the tank has a central opening l2, through which the glass, when melted, may flow. The central part of the top or ceiling l of the tank is provided with a large opening I 4 for introducing batch materials into the tank and for centrally removing the exhaust gases of the flame and produce a uniform, high temperature throughout the tank. The opening it may be covered, during the melting and heating operation, by means of a block 85 that is slightly raisedfrom the top, by means of small wedge blocks l1, that may be moved radially, with reference to the opening l 4, to raise or lower the block l5 to regulate the escape of the exhaust gases of the burners 8. The block l5 has a central opening l6.

A glass-shaping element such as a. cylindrical mandrel l3, formed of refractory material, is centrally disposed below the opening l2 to direct the molten glass onto the upper end of the mandrel and cause it to be uniformly distributed over the surface of the mandrel to form the glassware. The glass flows downward over the surface of the mandrel and gradually cools until exterior and interior surfaces on the glass tube thus formed.

The tank I is located on a layer of bonded, segmental blocks .22, and a block 24 is located below the blocks 22. The blocks 22 and 24 are supported by the frame 2. A relatively large, central opening 25, coaxial with the opening I2, is formed in the blocks 22 and 24, while the opening I 2, in the bottom ll of the day tank I, is smaller than the opening 25. The upper end of the mandrel is preferably larger than the size of the opening l2 and is freely movable in the opening 25, and means is provided for raising and lowering the mandrel for regulating the flow of the glass from the tank and to close the opening l2. Dependent upon the relative location of the upper end of the mandrel It with reference to the opening l2, the glass flows from the tank and passes over the surface of the mandrel and freely moves within the opening 25.

In order to maintain, particularly, the upper end portion of the mandrel at a desired temperature to maintain the proper fluidity and produce the proper viscosity of the glass, the lower end of the mandrel, below the wall formed by the blocks 22 and 24, is surrounded by a refractory shell 21 and the interior of the shell is heated by a plurality of burners. The shell 21 is formed of refractory blocks .28, preferably, circular in form and bonded by a sheet metal retaining wall '30.

The upper end of the shell 21 is slightly spaced from the lower surface of the blocks 24 to form an annular opening 3|. -The shell 21 is provided with a pair of metal projections or wings 32, and a pair of studs 34 extend through each of the wings 32 and the frame 2 of the apparatus for supporting the shell 21. A set of burners 35, mounted on a pipe 31, are located at the lower end of the shell 21, which produce a flame that projects into the shell 21. The pipe 31 is bent circularly and the lower end of the interior of the shell 21 is formed to have an inwardly curved surface 38 that directs the flame from the burners toward the lower end of the mandrel.

The space or annular opening 3| forms an outlet for the exhaust of the gases of the burners. The outlet may be dampered, by means of a aaraeie wheel 4|, through a sprocket hain connection to the pinlons, to raise and lower the ring 40 to vary the effective area of the annular openin 3| and, thus, regulate the height that the flame from the burners 35 will extend upward and over the lower end'of the glass-shaping element |-8.

If the opening is not closed by the ring 40, the flame will project to, and its products will exhaust readily through, the opening,- but, if the annular opening 3| is substantially closed, the flame willbe snubbed downward and will not extend its effective heat zone to as high a point within the shell 21. The heat of the burners may, thus, be confined to the lower end or near the tip of the element to heat the glass at the lower end of the element. j This varies the fluidity of the glass and enables regulated movement of the glass, by its own weight, from the element. This will, also, enable the control of the thick-- ness of the tube that is formed by the element.

The element or mandrel 8 is supported by a pipe 42 that extends downward through the tank I. The pipe 42 may be raised to locate the upper end of the mandrel against the bottom H of the tank I and, substantially, close th opening l2. The lower end of the pipe 42 is provided with a refractory block 44 (Fig. 8), which is located in the upper end of the mandrel, for connecting the upper end of the mandrel l8 to the pipe 42. The block and mandrel are provided with shoulders 41 and 48, and keys 45 are located intermediate the shoulders and between the outer surface of the block 44 and the inner surface of the mandrel l3 and, thus, the mandrel may be raised and lowered'by raising and lowering the pipe 42.

The pipe 42 extends through a U-bar 49, supported in the upper end of the frame 2, and is located in axial alignment with a nozzle 50 and in proximity thereto, so that air under pressure,-

directed through the pipe 5|, will beprojected by the nozzle 50 into the upper end of the pipe 42. This will give, merely, a slightly greater pressure than atmospheric within the pipe 42 and.

as the glass tube is formed by the descent of the.

glass from the mandrel l8, the pressure will be sufficient to maintain the tubular form of'the glass as it is produced by the mandrel and carried down to the rollers 2| of the bed 20.

The upper end 52 of the pipe 42 is threaded and means is provided for minutely lowering the mandrel l8 and, particularly, the upper end of the mandrel, from the lower end of the opening l2, progressively, as the level of the glass in the day tank lowers, to provide, automatically, a regulated and constant feed, notwithstanding the lowering of the level of th glass in the tank. The upper, threaded end of the pipe 42 is PTO.- vided with a threaded sprocket gear wheel '54, which may be connected, by means of a-sprocket chain '55, to a sprocket wheel 51 that is connected to a rod 58. The wheel 54 engages the cross bar 49 in the upper end of the frame 2 to support the pipe '42. The rod 58 extends through a gear wheel 60 (Figs. 3 and 4), which is driven by a motor Bl. The speed of the motor is greatly reduced, by means of the gear boxes 82 and 64 and the connecting gears 50, 51, and 54.

Intermediate the reduction gear box 54 and the gear 60 is a means for manually varying the location of the mandrel I8 with respect to the lower end of the opening l2 in case-the feed is not sufilciently fast to correspond to the pressure and viscosity of the glass as it leaves the furnace; that is, if the viscosity of the glass rises or is relatively high, the mandrel may be lowered by means of a handle 65 located on the end of the rod 58 that extends upwardly to the gears 51 and 60 to produce, if desired, a forward rotation of the gear in the direction that it is propelled by the motor 8| (Figs. 1 and 2). The gear wheel 88 is connected, by a sprocket chain H, t the reduction gear of the gear box 84. The gear wheel 51 is mounted on the rod 58 and is pinned thereto. A ratchet 58 is, also, pinned to the rod 58 and has a sliding, frictional con-. tact with the gear wheel 68 that is located thereon. The gear wheel 5'! is positively connected to the gear wheel 88 by the dog 18, which is mounted on the gear wheel 80, and, when the gear wheel 51 is driven by the motor, the drive is through the ratchet 88 and the dog 18 (Figs. 3 and 7). When the rod 58 is rotated by the handle 85, in the direction in which the motor propels the gear wheel 51, and the rate of movement of the gear wheel 51 is accelerated by movement of the handle, the ratchet 88 is, also, moved in an advancing relation to the gear wheel 58 and the dog 18, and the gear wheel 54 is rotated to lower the mandrel an increased amount.

The pipe 42 is, preferably, covered with a sleeve 12 of refractory material, where it extends through the molten glass and the opening l2. In order to center the sleeve 12 and the pipe 42, with reference to the opening 12, a plurality of adjustable pipes 14 extend from the outside of-the furnace to the pipe 42. The pipes 11 are, preferably, located in the top of the furnace in order to, accurately, adjust the mandrel 18 with reference to the opening l2. The burners, however, produce a whirling flame within the furnace, and thus, produce a uniform heat throughout the top of the furnace and above the surface of the glass. Preferably, smaller pipes 15 are located within the pipes 14, and short arcuate boxes 11 are located at the inner ends of the pipes 14 in engaging relation with the pipe 42. Water is directed, through supply pipes 18, into the pipes 15, through the boxes 11, and through the outer pipes 1 4 to the pipes 80 that are connected to a point of discharge. The atcuate boxes 11 fit the pipe 42 and rest upon the upper end of the sleeve 12.

The pipes 14 and 15 extend through the wall of the furnace. The outer ends of the pipes 14 and 15 are exteriorly threaded and connected to flexible tubes 8|, which are, in turn, connected to the supply and return pipes 18 and 80. To adjust the centering pipes 14 and, thus, adjust the mandrel 18, relative to the opening l2, nuts 82 are located on the threaded ends of the pipes 14 and intermediate flange parts of the brackets 84 to cause the mandrel to be shifted, upon adjustment of the nuts 82. The constant flow of the cooling liquid prevents the burning or warping of the centering pipes by the interior heat of the furnace and, yet, maintains the upper end of the mandrel properly centered or adjusted, with respect to the opening l2.

The opening being located in' the bottom of the tank, the glass flows downwardly from beneath the central part of its surface where the residue of the glass batch and the seeded glass collects and, consequently, only the finer glass is drawn through the opening and directed to the mandrel where it is formed into ware. The glass in contact with the wall of the tank adheres thereto and covers its surface to enclose any inder 88 is located in the pipe'j42 and within the opening l2. The pipe 98 is connected to the supply pipe 18, and the water is caused to flow from the pipe 18 through the pipe 8!) and the cylinder 88 to the pipe 81 and discharged through the pipe 85 that is connected to the water discharge pipe 88. As the batch melts to form the glass, the glass enters the opening l2 and is chilled by the water in the cylinder 88. The glass in the opening [2, thus, freezes and prevents the escape of glass as it is being melted. When it is desired to produce the were and cause the glans to flow over the mandrel l8, the pipe 81, the cylinder 88, and the pipe 98 are removed from the pipe 12 and the mandrel l3, and when the frozen glass in the opening [2 is melted by the heat of the tturnace, and the pipe 5| is inserted into position to locate the nozzle 58 in line with the pipe 42, the mandrel i8 is moved from the bottom ll of the tank and the glass flows down over the mandrel to form the ware.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for prcducing a molten glass stream and for forming it into finished ware comprising a day tank having bottom, top and side walls, said top wall having a charging opening therein for permitting .the introduction of raw glass batch materials into the tank, said bottom wall having a substantially centrally located discharge opening therein for discharging molten glass from the tank, a closure for said charging opening, a glass shaping element, means supported above the top wall and extending downwardly through the tank for supporting the glass shaping element below said discharge opening and in position to receive glass discharged therethrough, and adjusting means extending through a side wall of the tank and substantially horizontally through the tank and cooperating with the supporting means for the glass shaping element for adjusting the said element laterarly with respect to said discharge opening.

2. Apparatus 101' producing a molten glass stream and for forming it into finished ware comprising a day tank having bottom, top and,

side walls, said top wall having a. charging opening therein for permitting the introduction of raw glass batch materials into the tank, said bottom wall having a substantially centrally located discharge opening therein for discharging molten glass from the tank, a closure for said charging opening, a glass shaping element, means supported above the top wall and extending downwardly through the tank for supporting the glass shaping element below' said discharge opening and in position to receive glass discharged therethrough, said shaping element having an upper end larger than said discharge opening, and means cooperating with the supporting means and positioned above the tank for adjusting the shaping element. vertically with respect to said discharge opening to regulate the flow of glass therethrough.

3. Apparatus for producing a molten glass stream and i'or forming it into finished ware comprising a day tank having bottom, top and side walls, said top wall having a charging open ing therein forpermitting the introduction of raw glass batch materials into the tank, said bot tom wail having a substantially centrally located discharge opening therein for discharging molten glass from the tank, a closure for said charging opening, a glass shaping element, means supported above the top wall andextending downwardly through the tank for supporting the glass shaping element below said discharge opening and in position to receive glass discharged there through, means cooperating with the supporting means and positioned above the tank for adjusting the shaping element vertically with respect to said discharge opening, and adjusting means extending through a side wall of the tank and cooperating with the supporting meansior the glass shaping element for adjusting the said element laterally with respect to said discharge opening. a

4. Apparatus for forming glassware comprising a day tank adapted to contain a mass of molten glass, said tank having top, side and bottom walls, said bottom wall having a discharge opening therein tor discharging molten glass from the taste, a glass shaping element, supporting means extending downwardly through said tank and said discharge opening for supporting the glass shaping element below said'opening, and

means engaging said supporting means Within the tank for adjusting itiand the shaping .ele-

-ment laterally of the opening.

5. Apparatus for forming glassware comprising a day tank having top, side and bottom walls, the bottom wall having a discharge opening therein through which molten glass is discharged from the tank, a glass shaping element, a blow pipe supported above the tank and extending downwardly through the tank and through said discharge opening, means for supporting the glass shaping element on said blow pipe below said discharge opening, a sleeve surrounding a portion of the blow pipe and extending through said discharge opening, and a plurality of adlusting members extending radially of the tank between the top and bottom walls thereof for adjusting said blow pipe and sleeve laterally of the opening.

EDWARD BANNER. 

